STEM

Girl Power in Engineering & IT

The Girl Power in Engineering and IT program was created by the University of Melbourne, to encourage young girls to move into the field of engineering and IT. 

Forty girls from across Victoria come together to share their love of STEM and participate in many STEM-related activities.  The program consists of three stages, which include a camp in Year 9, work-experience at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology in Year 10, and a mentoring program during both Years 11 and 12.

The camp was held at University College, residential accommodation for students currently enrolled at the University of Melbourne.  While we stayed at University College, we often walked to the University of Melbourne campus for workshops, classes and more, or walked to other locations for our activities.

During the Year 9 camp, we had many amazing workshops, from learning about aerodynamics and designing our own plane wings, to making our own windmills and more!  My favourite workshop was the Glider Workshop, held at The Creator Space, which is a lab for engineering and IT students to design, build, and test projects at the University of Melbourne.  The workshop was split over two days, one day for learning and designing, and the second day for assembly and test runs!  The plane that my partner and I designed did encounter a few setbacks after being dropped a couple of times, but it was an amazing experience! 

We also had a range of other workshops which were just as engaging, as well as tours, and a careers night with inspiring women working in engineering as they shared their experiences and stories with us.  It was a valuable experience to ask questions about their work and what they think about engineering.

What I loved about the camp was that our mentors were students currently studying in engineering and IT, so we could ask them any questions we had and get tips or advice they had for us.  It was also an inviting opportunity to meet new people and make new friends with similar interests.  Going into the camp not knowing anyone was a bit intimidating at first, but I quickly got to know some of the girls, and we became friends very quickly, bonding over our love for STEM as I got to know them better! 

Overall, it was a warm and welcoming experience, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in STEM or wants to explore a new field of learning!  For more information visit: https://eng.unimelb.edu.au/engage-with-us/schools/girl-power-in-eng-and-it

Keep exploring STEM!

Georgia X - 9 Melba